Why Nonviolent Direct Action?
SPEDWatch applauds the many hard won victories achieved by Massachusetts advocates that have improved conditions for many students with disabilities. Yet discrimination against these students remains entrenched in our educational system. For this reason SPEDWatch has chosen to augment current advocacy efforts by using an approach that has not yet been applied to the struggle for students’ special education rights: nonviolent direct action. The power and intent of nonviolent direct action is most eloquently expressed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his seminal Letter from a Brimingham Jail.
Related Questions
- Does nonviolent action require a charismatic leader (like Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr.) in order to be effective?
- Does nonviolent action only work in a democratic system? Can it be used and succeed against dictatorships?
- What is nonviolent direct action and what role does this play in a CPT delegation?
